Video Consultations in Reproductive Medicine: safety, feasibility and
patient satisfaction
Abstract
Objective: To study the safety and feasibility of virtual consultations
in reproductive medicine. Design: This was a descriptive cross-sectional
study involving subfertile patients attending a video consultation
between September 2021 and August 2022 at St. Mary’s Hospital in
Manchester, UK. Clinicians conducting virtual consultations during the
same period responded to a parallel survey for healthcare professionals.
Subjects: Subfertile patients attending a virtual consultation.
Healthcare professionals conducting virtual consultations. Exposure: The
survey link was offered in 4,932 consultations. A total of 577 (11.69%)
patients responded and 510 completed the questionnaire (88.3%). Main
Outcome Measures: Patient satisfaction measured as the percentage of
patients preferring virtual to in person consultations. Results: The
majority of the patients (475, 91.70%) had a positive experience with
the video consultation and just under half of the patients (152,
48.65%) preferred a video consultation to an in person consultation due
to cost and time savings. Most patients (375, 72.68%) felt safer and
less exposed to COVID-19. When the risk of COVID-19 subsides, 242
patients (47%) would still prefer to attend video consultations, while
169 (32.82%) had no preference. Analysis of the responses from patients
reporting a negative experience identified technical problems as a
possible cause. The virtual consultations appeared to be suitable for
patients with disabilities. The clinicians’ survey identified potential
legal and ethical concerns. Conclusion: Virtual consultations are a safe
and feasible alternative to in person consultations for subfertile
patients. This large cross-sectional study revealed a high rate of
patient satisfaction. Appropriate patient selection accounting for IT
literacy, English language understanding and preference is crucial for
successful virtual consultations. Further consideration should be given
to ethical and legal challenges of virtual consultations.